And For My Next Trick...

I was originally thinking of this as an adjunct to the Oil post, but I forgot to include it, and decided that I would post it separately, rather than as a comment to the Oil post.

So.

I just want to answer the folks who claim that our current actions in the Middle East are NOT self-defense, once and for all, although for a reason they might not expect.

Actually, any actions we undertake in Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, or the UAE are self-defense, if a bizarre, time-delayed alternate-universe sort.

See, if someone tries to mug you, and you shoot them, it's self-defense.

If someone tries to rob your house, and you shoot them, it's self-defense.

If you build multi-billion dollar facilities for the production, extraction, and refining of oil, and someone steals them, and you kick their ass, it's self-defense.

Bear in mind that all but one of the major oil companies that are household names in America are American companies (the exception being Shell, which is now part of British Petroleum.) Those companies did the geological surveys, the planning, the research, and built the facilities, often including the expansions to harbor facilities, in the majority of the OPEC countries, to produce oil; after which, those nations "nationalized" those production facilities.

Without paying the companies back.

Right.

That makes it "armed robbery."

If you shoot someone who tries to commit armed robbery against you, it's self - defense.

Venezuela nationalized the American oil facilities in their territory last year, and didn't pay. At that point, we would have been perfectly within our rights to demand payment at risk of invasion and reclamation of the oil facilities; Venezuela stole something from us, that was worth billions of dollars.

Billions of dollars are "a vital national interest," in my opinion.

So, basically, the way this works is simple: we have a national interest - that being billions upon billions of dollars owed us, and as yet unpaid, despite our huge cash flow to them for oil - from OUR FACILITIES THAT THEY STOLE - and despite our "foreign aid" payments to their governments - that gives us reason if we ever, ever need to contemplate military action against any of these nations; we have a legitimate reason to deal with them on that level, even if it's been delayed "until we need it."

So, y'all seriously need to stop bitching about Saddam; he owed us 6 billion dollars.

...Hey, France, that 44 billion you still owe us from World War 2 is just CALLING MY NAME...